Gov. DeSantis expands program to help Floridians harden homes against hurricanes

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday capped three days of environmental events beginning on Earth Day by signing legislation that puts $200 million into a program to help Floridians protect their homes against tropical storms and hurricanes.

The My Safe Florida Home program provides up to $10,000 in state grants to match whatever homeowners are paying to harden their homes against storms, with low-income residents eligible for state help even without matching dollars.

The program, so far, has been overrun with applicants. But the $200 million set aside under the measure (SB 7028) should help ease the backlog, DeSantis said before signing the bill in the Pinellas County town of Redington Shores.

“We do realize that there’s a waiting list,” DeSantis said. “And I think it’s good they re-upped the program. If there was nobody signing up for it then they (the Legislature) probably wouldn’t have appropriated more money for grants. So there’s more help on the way.”

DeSantis called the program “effective.”

Getting ready for the storms: My Safe Florida Home funding increased to $200 million. What does that mean for homeowners?

The signing Wednesday came after DeSantis earlier this week touted his support for $1.5 billion in the state budget for Everglades restoration and water quality and later enacted legislation aimed at developing new technologies to ease red tide, which has plagued Florida’s Gulf Coast.

In the appearances, DeSantis has been promoting his six-year record of pouring billions of taxpayer dollars toward environmental efforts mostly focusing on repairs and resiliency in the face of climate change, which the Republican governor avoids mentioning directly.

“These are meaningful things to get on the scoreboard,” DeSantis said of the latest round of actions.

As a presidential candidate last year, DeSantis advanced an energy plan that included rolling back President Biden’s efforts to fight climate change, while dismissing warnings about intensifying weather as “fear tactics.”

Hurricane season begins June 1 and forecasters predict an above-average season in terms of activity and potential storm strength. Florida remains vulnerable.

More: 'Hyperactive' hurricane season ahead? Our models say count on it | WeatherTiger forecast

The My Safe Florida Home program originally launched in 2006, but the Republican-controlled Legislature stopped funding it about three years later, allowing it to become dormant. It was revived with state funding during a 2022 legislative special session on the state’s property insurance crisis, as Floridians began complaining about paying the nation’s highest homeowner costs.

Being included in the program can help with insurance, since it provides home inspections, hurricane readiness and recommendations for wind protection features, including roofing materials, better exterior and garage doors and storm shutters.

DeSantis also signed into law a measure (HB 1029) that expands My Safe Florida Home to include a condominium pilot program. It would provide licensed inspectors to perform inspections and grants to eligible associations, as funding allows.

The governor said the state budget for 2024-25 that he is expected to sign soon includes $30 million for this condo program.

More: My Safe Florida Home funding increased to $200 million. What does that mean for homeowners?

John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jkennedy2@gannett.com, or on X at @JKennedyReport.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis expands program to help prepare Florida homes for hurricanes